Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: World War II: The United States at War Name: Charles Webster
Content Area: Social Science U.S. History Grade Level: 11
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):

11.7 Students analyze Americas participation in World War II.

11.7.1. Examine the origins of American involvement in the war, with an emphasis on the events that precipitated the attack on Pearl Harbor.
11.7.4. Analyze Roosevelts foreign policy during World War II (e.g., Four Freedoms speech).
11.7.5. Discuss the constitutional issues and impact of events on the U.S. home front, including the internment of Japanese Americans (e.g., Fred Korematsu v. United States of
America) and the restrictions on German and Italian resident aliens; the response of the administration to Hitlers atrocities against Jews and other groups; the roles of
women in military production; and the roles and growing political demands of African Americans.
11.7.6. Describe major developments in aviation, weaponry, communication, and medicine and the wars impact on the location of American industry and use of resources.
11.7.7. Discuss the decision to drop atomic bombs and the consequences of the decision (Hiroshima and Nagasaki).

Big Ideas/Unit Goals:

Students should be able to answer the following questions and should be able to examine and explain the involvement of the U.S. in World War II, its significance, and how
the war influenced the development of the U.S.
1. How did the attack on Pearl Harbor affect U.S. foreign policy and alter the nations attitude towards World War II?
2. How did the events of World War II affect American minorities, specifically Japanese-Americans, and what were some of the constitutional issues related to
internment?
3. How did the development of the atomic bomb contribute to the U.S. ultimate victory over Japan, and how was its use justified?

Unit Summary:

In this unit, students will be learning all about America's role in World War II. In the beginning of this unit, students will be examining why the U.S. became involved in the
war. The shift from a neutral and isolationist stance to one of intervention will be of particular importance at this point in the unit. The events surrounding Pearl Harbor will
therefore be extensively studied. Then, students will be exploring the impact that WWII had on American minorities, specifically Japanese-Americans and their internment
during the war. In addition, students will be studying the case of Korematsu v. U.S. and the efforts on behalf of the U.S. government to make amends years later. Next, students
will more closely study the program responsible for the development of the atomic bomb, known as the Manhattan Project, and the decision to drop the atomic bomb on
Japan as well as its implications. Throughout this unit, students will develop and practice note-taking and study skills, communication and research skills, learn to better
collaborate with one another, and will be assessed in several different ways. Upon the completion of this unit, students will therefore have a comprehensive understanding of
America's participation in WWII and our nation's profound transformation as a result of the war.

Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level: In the beginning of the unit, students will Formative: Students will have their progress Summative: The summative assessments are designed
start with an entry-level assessment which will be a monitored through various formative assessments, to help me to evaluate student learning and
brief quickwrite. The quickwrite will be a response to including exit tickets, guided notes, Quizlet flashcards, a achievement at the end of the unit. The big ideas of the
the question, "Considering all that you have learned in
your prior history classes, what do you know about
World War II?" This quickwrite will therefore help to
inform me, the teacher, about the range of learners in
the classroom.
webercise, a Kahoot! quiz, and a timeline assignment. unit are addressed through an in-class essay
The exit tickets will contain two short questions for responding to the question, "How did the events of
students to answer or prompt them to summarize a key World War II influence the U.S. and its development?",
concept from the lecture. The exit tickets will be and a museum exhibit group project and presentation.
handed out five minutes before the end of the period The project and essay will help me to assess the
and are meant to help me to evaluate whether students students' ability to synthesize information and their
have learned the key material or may need further overall understanding and mastery of the big ideas and
support. In this way, I can assess the students' ability to key material presented throughout the unit.
analyze the lecture to ensure they can, for example,
identify and examine the key reasons for U.S.
involvement in World War II after completing the Road
to Pearl Harbor lecture. In addition, students will
complete guided notes as part of the lecture. The notes
will then be turned in and graded to assess student
comprehension. For the Quizlet flashcards, the students
will identify the leaders of the major powers that
fought in World War II and each of the influential
battles that took place during the war. The webercise
will check the students' understanding of Japanese-
American internment during World War II by having
them analyze and interpret both the primary and
secondary sources in the WebQuest. The Kahoot! quiz
will assess the students' comprehension of lecture
material related to the events surrounding the
development of the atomic bomb and the bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In addition, the timeline
assignment will assess the students' understanding of
the chronology of important and specific events
relevant to the Manhattan Project and its impact on the
trajectory of the war. Each of these activities will help
me to evaluate student learning at different points in
the unit.

Lesson 1 (Teacher Lecture)

Student Learning Objective:
Students will analyze lecture
material and be able to
identify the origins of
American involvement in
World War II.
Acceptable Evidence
(Assessments):
Students will complete the
Road to Pearl Harbor guided
notes by answering each of
the questions contained
therein to explain Americas
entry into World War II.
Lesson Activities:
Students will listen to and participate in the teacher lecture while taking guided notes. These notes will
extensively cover the events leading up to and surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor, which effectively dragged
the U.S. into war. The lecture also provides an overview of the beginning of the war prior to U.S. involvement and
its participants as well as the U.S. shift from a neutral and isolationist foreign policy to one of intervention. This
lecture will therefore include a discussion about the cash-and-carry policy, the Lend-Lease Act, the Atlantic
Charter, and President Roosevelts Four Freedoms Speech. As this material is presented by the teacher, students
will fill out the guided notes, so they can focus on and take away the most important information from the lecture.
Lesson 2 (Webercise/ iPad Lesson)
Student Learning Objective:
Students will strengthen their
understanding of Japanese-
American internment by
utilizing web-based resources
to explore and interpret
information concerning the
events surrounding
internment.
Lesson 3 (Graphic Organizer)
Student Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate a
chronological understanding
of the development of the
atomic bomb, from its
beginning to the bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Unit Resources:
The Second World War: A Complete History by Martin Gilbert
Acceptable Evidence:
Students will analyze and
examine the provided web-
based resources to answer
each of the questions related
to Japanese-American
internment in the WebQuest.
Acceptable Evidence:
Students will construct a
timeline that outlines at least
18 chronological events
relevant to the creation and
use of the atomic bomb and
an explanation of each events
significance.
Lesson Activities:
Students will use their chromebooks to access the different websites and videos listed on their WebQuest
assignment. As they read through each of these resources and watch these videos, students will collect
information and answer questions related to Japanese-American internment. Students will learn about the events
leading up to Pearl Harbor, the attack on Pearl Harbor itself, the Executive order that led to the relocation of
Japanese-Americans, the process of relocation, the conditions of the camps, the case of Korematsu v. U.S., and how
the U.S. government has attempted to make amends with Japanese-Americans in the years after World War II.
Upon completing this WebQuest, students will therefore obtain a stronger understanding of how World War II
affected American society, particularly Japanese-Americans.
Lesson Activities:
With their elbow partner, students will use their chromebooks to create a timeline outlining the development of
the atomic bomb and explain the U.S. governments justification for its use with the help of the TimelineJS tool.
Students will use their chromebooks to explore the different resources listed on the assignment to collect their
information, then they will use this information to construct their timelines by placing each event in
chronological order and providing a brief explanation of its significance. This activity will, therefore, help
students to make important connections between events and better understand their causes and effects in order
to explain why these events unfolded in the way that they did.

Webercise Resources:
Pearl Harbor USHistory.org
Inside World War II Interactive
Executive Order 9066
A More Perfect Union Japanese-Americans and the U.S. Constitution
Japanese Internment during WWII YouTube

Timeline Assignment Resources:

The Manhattan Project YouTube
The Manhattan Project History.com
The Trinity Test
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The Manhattan Project USHistory.org
The Decision to Drop the Bomb

Useful Websites:
1. World War II History.com
2. The U.S. in World War II Study.com
3. America Enters World War II
4. FDRs Pearl Harbor Speech
5. The U.S. Homefront during World War II
6. Executive Order 9066
7. Korematsu v. U.S.
8. African Americans in World War II
9. The Manhattan Project USHistory.org
10. The Decision to Drop the Bomb USHistory.org
11. FDRs Four Freedoms Speech
12. The Marshall Plan Speech